Altered
by Aleron's Sword
Summary: All seems normal when it comes to the meteor shower once every few years. That is until hundreds of them land on Earth, each packed with a strange energy. Rated T for violence and swearing. Formerly known as Meteor Changes. Possible dicontinuation.
1. Introduction

**Hey everyone, Aleron's sword here. I know it's been a while since I submitted a true story other than the Alerox one-shot here, but like I said on it, I'm thinking of coming back here. Also like I said in it that my quality of writing had suffered over the writers block I had for possibly over a year, so try to keep the 'heavy' criticism down.**

**This one I'm not entirely sure if it should belong in the Champions Online segment – let along FFN entirely – since this story will have pretty much little to no references to the game itself other than this was inspired by it, as well as locations and such.**

**Fair warning to you readers, this will have uncensored swearing, bit of violence at most points and possibly over-the-top at times, seeing that this is pretty much a fic inspired by a game of superheroes and such. This may be also be bumped up to an M rating if people are concerned enough about the swearing and violence.**

**Remember the R.E.R.: Read, Enjoy, and Review. Without further ado, lets get this rolling.**

-0-

_**Altered**_

-0-

? PoV:

I looked up at the midnight black sky, stars dotting it as well as the chilled air brushed against my face. It was to be a meteor shower tonight once every few years, something I was hoping to watch. I was wearing a sleep shirt, but I had jeans to cover my legs from the cold, as well as wearing two jackets to stay warm. My knees were bent with my arms resting on them, watching the sky as I waited. Having checked the time before I came out, it was to be around ten minutes before the actual event started, and I've already been out here for five minutes.

A sigh came from me after a bit, mainly of boredom of waiting. Another five minutes passed and I figured that the show would start at any minute. I patiently waited, watching for any streaks of light to show up in the sky. However, another few minutes ticked by and I was doubting that me and hopeful others could see it tonight, mainly due to it being only visible to another part of the world. I let out another sigh, getting up and got ready to head back inside, thinking I was never going to see a meteor shower.

One little streak of light through the sky proved me wrong.

I quickly jerked my head up, seeing more and more of them shooting by, smiling widely as I knew it was going to happen. I sat back down, laying on my back as I watched the spectacle continue, more and more showing up. A small laugh escaped from me, ecstatic of being able to watch this for the first time of my life. The thought of bringing the rest of my family out came to me, but I brushed it off, knowing they wouldn't like being woken up at this hour.

A few minutes of watching this, I noticed a little something…odd. There was this sound…like that of a missile. Curiously, I looked to where it was coming from…

"OH SHIT!" I yelled out, quickly scrambling from my spot.

One of the meteors was careening towards the ground, and out of pure rotten luck, it was heading for my spot. Being somewhat smart, I didn't run in the direction opposite of the meteor, rather out of the way of its path by running to the side. Adrenaline from the sudden event went through me, trying to get as far from the impact site as possible. I wasn't able to get far enough into cover, being sent flying a bit when it hit the ground with the sound of a deafening explosion.

Landing roughly on the ground, my ears were ringing badly as I could barely hear the sound of car alarms going off around the neighborhood. I didn't doubt that windows were also shattered and everyone was awake as well. Groaning, I slowly got back up, disoriented a bit as the ringing started to clear up, hearing the alarms going off now. I didn't want to stand up right now since my legs were a bit numb, but they cleared up after a bit, letting me stand up.

"What was that?!" I heard one neighbor yell out.

"Was that one of the meteors?" another questioned as I looked to the rather large crater in our yard now.

Curiosity peaked as I slowly made my way to the crater, seeing my parents, younger sis and older bro coming out, dogs barking as well as all of them ran to the crater as well.

"Boy, what were you doing out here?" my step-dad questioned me when he was close enough.

_'Ugh, hate being called that…'_ I thought to myself, refraining from an eye-roll before looking back to him. "I was seeing if I could be able to watch the meteor shower tonight. Got a lot closer than I thought." I explained, looking to the crater again.

I didn't hear what he ended up saying next, continuing to walk towards the crater, curious of what was in it other than the small embers dotted in it. When I walked up next to it, there was – surprise – a meteor inside, but it looked…off. I ended up taking one step too far, stumbling into the crater and rolling head over heels over until I stopped at the deepest part, groaning again.

"Aleron, you alright?" I heard my brother say.

"Peachy…" was my answer, slowly getting up again, though I found myself next to the meteor.

Now that I was closer, it looked like it was made into something, or rather some_things_. I couldn't see well due to the night, but they looked like a giant pair of gauntlets, with the fingers of them curled up. Again, I couldn't see much but I think that they were a black or a dark color, something I would only be able to see once the sun comes up.

I was wondering on why they were shaped like such, but I arced an eyebrow as they suddenly started to glow. Next thing I knew was some beam of light striking me, making all my muscles cease up as it felt like being shocked by a tazer. A small spasm yell came from me, soon being shot out of the crater as my body now felt like it was on fire, not even registering when I landed back down.

-0-

Third Person View

The young adult couldn't stand, his teeth gritting as he curled up tightly, trying to withhold a scream of agony. It was futile as he quickly unwound, letting out said scream, his body seeming to grow larger. It wasn't just in size, but also muscle mass and…metal?

His skin was slowly turning a dark red as his clothes tore, his arms starting to form what looked like metallic bracers on his thickening wrists. They were also the same dark red, the thicker parts a black as lines of a dull yellow glowed on them. The family could only watch as he grew and altered before their eyes, the dogs no longer barking.

His hands started to thicken, the ring and middle fingers slowly merging together as the fingers became metallic claws, hinges showing where the joints were as the sides of each triangular claw were glowing with a form of blue power, the knuckle area of each hand forming spikes at the end of them. Up on the upper arms they swelled with the bulk of the altering human, more armor growing on them, both pieces looking like they could deflect bullets off the surface. On his shoulders grew what seemed like military tech shoulders, a few more lines of yellow glowing on them as they matched his growth.

His torso started to first form black lines on the skin, leading to the legs, arms and head, only to be soon covered by a segmented armor of the same material, forming a bit of a 'Y' shape with the same yellow energy lines. The parts not covered by the thicker metal was covered by a thinner, though seemingly more flexible kind, black in color as well. The back had plates running up it like as though it knew where the humans spine was at, fusing into it and making him jolt violently, ending with what looked like a segment for something to plug in, multiple slots for such.

The legs soon started to follow, forming thigh and shin guards of the same kind and thickness, the legs swelling in size as well. More spots of yellow started glowing on the sides of the thigh guards, as well as the rear of the shin ones, a metallic knee-guard forming in front of the knees. The feet were exposed since only the tattered remains of the shoes clung to it, but were soon tore off as large boots formed, covering them.

The head was last as the young adult opened his mouth as wide as he could, unable to scream from the amount of pain he was in, his face pulling out painfully as his teeth fell out, clinking on the metal as his hair fell out. The sides of his mouth formed what looked like replacement teeth, jutting out and six per side, three per upper and lower jaw. On top of his 'snout' a trio of spikes pushed out, the tips pointing to the rear of the head as it pulled out into a fourth, though slightly longer one, red as well. Latches formed on the back of the neck, connecting to the rest on the back as wires started forming and connecting to the main body, slithering their way through his body and replacing all that was organic.

The wires continued on, all signs of inner flesh fading away to be replaced with machine, the lines on the mechs body starting to glow once the heart had been replaced with an energy core. All other organs were gone, no longer needed for the former human as sight and hearing were replaced with audio and video receptors.

The changes slowed to a stop, finishing as the machine, just shy of eleven feet, couldn't let out the scream it held for so long, instead slumping in its spot, passed out and temporarily shut down. The family of the former human looked on, horrified on what they had witnessed and were uncertain if he was the same. All but the mother went in, who was looking with shock at what happened to her son, dropping to her knees as tears formed in her eyes.

-0-

**CLIFFHANGER! *ahem* Sorry bout the caps.**

**This was written mostly because I have been playing said game for the better half of a month almost non-stop, and around the time was a meteor shower that was to happen on the same night. Customization is quite wide, even if you yet to by any costume packs, and the travel powers are much, much larger in variety than when I was playing DC Universe Online. Besides the point, reviews!**

**I don't intend to sound offensive, but that one with "Hello." and such… … …honestly, doesn't feel like constructive criticism to me. I understand that you guys are trying to help and all, but still.**

******If you guys also have a possible new name for this by the way, PM me and I might use it.**

**Oh, and if you're wondering what the mech/bot/whatever looks like, I got a few reference pics on my DA profile for you to check out.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll see you guys soon.**


	2. A New Champion

**Hey-o everyone, second chapter of Meteor Changes.**

**For future reference, I apologize for a great lack of quality in these chapters. I know I've probably said it earlier, but meh. Unlike my other stories, the chapters will be short in exchange for me being able to get them done quickly.**

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_**A New Champion**_

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The following morning…

-0-

Initializing…

Boot-up sequence initiated.

Energy level: 98.3%…98.4%…

Condition of power core: Stable, running at full efficiency.

Running diagnostics check…

Arms: 100%

Legs: 100%

Torso: 100%

Head: 100%

Memory storage condition: 83.7%. Repairs commencing.

No hydraulic leaks detected.

No physical damage detected.

Radiation from core: No detected leaked radiation.

Combat capability: Error.

Weather conditions: Sunny, partial clouds, humidity moderate but decreasing.

…

…

Energy level at max, unit activation initiated.

Audio receptors activated…video receptors activated…

-0-

The machine slowly started up, the areas of yellow dully glowing as it groaned, slowly sitting up as its eyes were closed. The former human-now-machine wasn't aware of his changes, slowly lifting a clawed hand to his head to ease the bit of migraine he had. When he felt his claws on his head, he visibly jolted, now opening his eyes. The simple action surprised him, seeing everything in much clearer form than he ever thought.

"What the...?! Is that–!" he spoke, only to be surprised by the deeper and more mechanical tone of his voice.

When he brought a 'hand' up to his neck, he stopped in an instant, eyes wide at the claws he was looking at. Panic started to set in as he brought his other hand, over, seeing the giant claws on them, flexing them and seeing they were his. After he did so, he started looking over his body, seeing he was no longer human, as well as seeing the indention made on the ground from him being out, as well as his footsteps.

"What the hell happened to me?!" he said aloud, horrified at the fact of him no longer being human in body.

_Foreign entity detected._

"Huh?" the machine questioned, having spotted those words, along with a form of arrow pointing him towards it. He followed the arrow, slowly turning around and spotted someone close by.

_Scanning…Species: Human. Gender: Female…_

"What the?" was his response to seeing the screen suddenly fill with info about his mother, looking at all of it.

"Aleron…?" she quietly asked, slowly approaching him. "Is…that you…?"

She slowly approached the robot that towered over her, no doubt scared but had to know if her son was still in the machine before her.

"M…mom…" Aleron muttered, slowly kneeling down. Though he was in a new body, it functioned almost like a normal human's body, able to move easily though still had the features to worry about.

He watched his mother approach, soon in front of his mechanized head, intimidated about being so close, but was calmed when he did speak out. Slowly, she reached a shaking hand out to him, seeing his 'eyes' blink every so often until she touched the front of his face. It was slightly warm, having been such due to the sun's rays as she started to slowly feel around, taking in what she was seeing and feeling. Aleron didn't move at all, letting her do so in hopes she would be calmed after this.

"Aleron…please tell me…that this is a dream…" she asked of him, tears welling up.

"I…I wish I could… …" he answered, saddened as well.

She continued to feel around, soon reaching the wires reaching from the back of his head to his body, sniffling a bit as she soon embraced him in a hug, crying freely as the tears splattered on the chassis. Aleron was saddened to see her like this, slowly laying a hand on her but being extremely careful, unsure if they were sharp or if he could end up crushing her on accident.

_Foreign entities detected._

Those words popped up again, making him slowly lift his head and look around, seeing various other neighbors coming, though some were keeping their distance. He knew they were – without a doubt – nervous or scared of his form, not moving much to show he wasn't hostile. The thought of the police coming also occurred, but figured it was best to try and not do anything that could turn the others on him.

"What is that thing?"

"Is it harmless?"

"Shouldn't we get her away from that…?"

Those were some of the questions asked, while some others started to take pictures. He knew that the press was going to get involved, but didn't care, only wanting others to see he wasn't a monster that they think he is. Looking back to his mom, she had stopped crying, slowly letting go as she looked at him.

"You're…still you?" she asked.

Aleron nodded for his answer, the metal mouth bending slightly at the joint in a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm still me." he spoke as well, shifting to a sitting position.

He looked around, seeing the others closing in slowly. They all stopped when he looked around, in which he stopped before looking back to his mom. The peace lasted as the others came in, inspecting him as well as the rest of his family, as he also wondered what kind of machine he was turned into. The peace was soon interrupted by the short burst of sirens, everyone looking and seeing a cop car at the street, the occupants coming out.

-0-

Aleron's PoV:

_Warning; armed threats detected._

_'What...?'_ I thought to myself, looking to the cops.

When I did so, that scanning thing popped up, but it highlighted the pistols the cops had in their holsters, showing all kinds of statistics about them.

_Combat level: Low._

I figured that it was thinking I wanted to fight, but I wasn't if I wanted to show I'm innocent. Soon as the cops spotted me, they quickly pulled out their pistols, aiming at me. Gotta love the instinct of them; see something dangerous, pull out a gun.

"What the hell is that…thing…?!" one of the officers yelled out.

A small growl escaped me, tired of being called a thing as I slowly stood up, the people around me backing away.

"I have a name you know." I started, "It's Aleron!"

"How do we know you won't go stir-crazy like all those other freaks?" the other questioned.

I was about to counter but stopped once I realized what they said. "Wait, I'm not the only one?"

"Yeah, haven't you seen the news?" one of the officers answered, slowly relaxing. "Ever since the meteor shower show last night, there has been a non-stop flow of reports and sightings of people mutating with either superpowers or transforming completely."

I looked back to the crater, remembering what had happened last night, when I was close to the meteor, then the pain of the transformation. After I was done, I looked back to the officers.

"So, what will you do now?" I asked them.

"What do you mean?"

"Will you report what you have seen here? Or will you–" I started saying, only to be cut off by a warning coming from up high.

I looked up to where it was going, quickly getting into a defensive stance.

"EVERYBODY! GET TO COVER!" I yelled out, the people staying for a bit before doing as ordered.

Right after everyone got clear, an explosive shell crashed into me, blowing up around me and sent me skidding back. Once I stopped, I lowered my arms, seeing scorch marks on them as well as a hud showing my body, the arms reading numbers on them.

_Left arm at 97%. Right arm at 98.2%._ The display read.

"Damn, was hoping for that to be a direct head-shot." Someone yelled out, making me look through the cloud of smoke.

A targeting cursor shifted through the smoke, soon locking onto someone hovering in the air.

-0-

**Personally, I feel that the ending's lacking a bit, but hey, a cliffhanger's a cliffhanger. *shrug***


	3. Heroic Battle

**Chapter three of Meteor Changes, or as it's now known as Altered. The name came to me when I was writing the sixth chapter of this story, in which it seemed to fit better than the last title.**

**Sadly, no reviews yet. :S**

**Remember the RER: Read, Enjoy, and Review. If you flame, I get roasted marshmallows. =-P**

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"Who are you?!" Aleron yelled out, seeing the smoke starting to clear.

When it was clear enough, there was a person hovering in their spot, small jets of flames shooting form the mechanical boots to keep them afloat. Following further up the leg was a pair of dark forest camo pants, the left leg having what looked like an Uzi submachine gun in its holster. Around the waist was several pouches, as well as canisters and grenades, as well as several RPG rockets.

The chest was shown next, having a suit of armor almost like Aleron's, though a military gray and brown color, with a form of insignia scratched into the chest part. The arms were next to be exposed, bare except colored with various tattoos. In the grip of the hands was a missile launcher, the barrel of it slightly smoking. The face was last to be shown, the person having a harsh glare and wearing what looked like a breather over his nose and mouth. A black beret covered the top of the mans head, the edge of it a navy blue color. A closer look shown that the right eye didn't have an iris or pupil, rather a reticle for one.

_Scanning… …threat level: High. Abilities currently unknown._

"My name is Commander Axton, former soldier of the US Army." the solder introduced, grabbing another rocket from the belt.

"Wait, if you used to be in the army, why did you fire on me?" Aleron questioned, on guard for another blast.

"I'm doing this because I aim to make this country safer, starting with you!" Axton yelled, having reloaded the RPG and aimed it at the mech.

The rocket primed and fired from the weapon, speeding towards Aleron who quickly jumped out of the way, the distance of such surprising him.

"Are you mad?! There are innocents here!" Aleron fired at the soldier after he regained his balance.

"So? You can't win wars without casualties!" he responded, dropping the RPG and whipping out an assault rifle, loading ammo into it and readying it to fire.

Crossing his arms defensively, Aleron blocked the hail of bullets from the rifle, most ricocheting off his armor and zipping out elsewhere. He wasn't concerned about the damage done to him rather the safety of others, more importantly his family. After a bit, the bullets stopped, only to be hit by another that made him visibly wince.

_Warning, armor puncture detected._

His eyes widened at the report as he was hit by another armor piercing bullet, making him yell out as it pierced right into his arm. He wanted to fight back, but all of this was entirely new to him. Also, he didn't want to end up killing him, being a bit of a pacifist. When the fourth bullet struck him, he yelled out, deciding to throw said pacifism away. He reached down and ripped up a moderately large rock without questioning how he could lift it, lowering his guard and threw it at the airborne soldier.

Axton was surprised at the speed of such, quickly holstering the pistol he was using and reared back a fist. When it was close enough, he sent his fist flying just before the rock could hit him, connecting to it and shattering the rock on impact, a small dust cloud forming that faded shortly after. Aleron's jaw dropped when he saw what happened, not believing what he just saw.

"What in the…?! How…?!" he stuttered, trying to find the question he needed.

Pulling his slightly bloody fist back, Axton glared at Aleron.

"Like I heard those cops say; you weren't the only one who as affected…" he explained, slowly lowering to the ground.

"Wait, you were mutated as well?" Aleron asked.

"Yes. Not only were those meteors responsible for my strength… … …they allowed me to walk, to fly…" Axton said, grabbing a knife from its hold on his right arm.

"Wait, what?"

"The boots that allow me to fly? They were granted to me by those 'mutations'. I call it a blessing, no longer needing to be bound to a damn wheelchair all my life." he let out a war cry as he charged at the larger robot, who got into a defensive stance. He jumped when he was several yards away, arcing himself to ready to stab into Aleron's head. However, a clawed hand grabbed hold of him before he could get close, instead stabbing at the elbow joint. The knife was much sharper than it looked, easily piercing the skin as a scream escaped from the bot.

He then started to twist and grind the knife in its spot, trying to do as much damage as possible, earning a small spasm from the hand that held him and another agonized scream. It soon turned into a deathly growl, the arm jolting suddenly and making him lose grip of his knife.

"That's IT!" Aleron yelled out, rearing a fist back as he glared at the soldier in his grip.

He flicked his wrist, tossing the solder a bit and letting go, his fist rocketing towards him and impacting with the force of a high-speed freight train into his chest. Time slowed when the punch connected, Axton's face slowly turning into one of having all the air forced out, cracks of bones audible as well. When time resumed, he was sent screaming towards a tree, a part of him clipping the ground and making him stumble head over heels until he crashed into it, snapping the tree on impact and making it timber.

Aleron watched with his fist still outstretched, soon pulling it back and ran to the spot where the soldier crashed, seeing him among the wreckage and glared down at him. Slowly recovering, Axton was able to slowly sit up, letting out several coughs to try and regain his breath before looking up.

"Pah… … …lucky…shot… …" he said, slowly starting to stand up, only to be forced back down on his back by a metallic boot.

"Lucky? That blow would have killed a normal person!" Aleron exclaimed, keeping Axton pinned. "I as sure as hell don't know what you're problem is with someone like me, but have got to be an idiot to blindly open fire on me, even with others around."

"I figured they were mutated like you, just…waiting for the time to…" Axton explained, only to grunt as the foot pressed down on him.

"You thought they were like me?! They're as normal as a human can be!" Aleron hissed, keeping the pressure up. "And yet being around me gives you the right to possibly kill them?" he growled a bit, looking down to his mechanical legs. "How comfortable was that wheelchair?" he asked shortly after.

"Huh…? Terrible. Why do you…?"

"Just curious." Aleron replied, shifting to where his right foot was next to Axton's.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Axton demanded, seeing the robot lift his foot.

"Making sure you never try and hurt others again." was the answer, glaring down at the feet and ignored the pleas from the soldier. He was almost ready to stomp down and cripple the veteran.

"ALERON, STOP!"

The bot did stop, jolting as his foot stopped just above the shins, looking over and saw it was his sister that stopped him, seeing her running towards him. He didn't do anything, seeing that she was crying as she hugged around his leg.

"Don't kill him! You're not like this!" she spoke, tears starting to flow from her eyes.

It took him a moment, but it was then he suddenly realized what he had almost done, slowly looking back down at Axton who had a pleading look on his face. Slowly he lifted his right foot, setting it on the ground as he removed his other from Axton's chest. The soldier got up as Aleron looked, seeing the rest of his family running towards him. If he could cry, tears would have been streaming down his face as he dropped to his knees, his sister getting out of the way as the rest approached him.

"I… …oh god… … …" he muttered, seeing his family around him, trying to comfort him.

He went to try and hug them, only to remember the knife was still embedded in his arm, something he had forgotten. He was about to grab it, but saw his brother remove it for him, throwing the knife away.

"Thanks Lucas…" he thanked, earning a nod from him in return.

He saw his mom again, no doubt the one who was most scared of him. Letting out a sigh, he reached out for her, not seeing Axton behind her. It was only when he saw a knife come around and her gasping did he notice, the soldier backing away with a harsh glare.

"Don't. Move. Or else her blood will stain this blade." he threatened, keeping the woman in his grip, whom had a terrified look on her face.

Seeing her like that made something snap in the machine, eyes shrinking in pure rage as he slowly stood up, making the soldier tense as the mother gasped.

"You…! Dare…?!" Aleron hissed, the rest of his family backing away.

His fists clenched up as he wanted to make the crazed soldier pay dearly. Something popped up on his display, but he didn't pay any attention to it, rearing a hand back as the sides of the claws faintly glowed.

"**YOU DARE THREATEN MY FAMILY?!**" he yelled again, though his tone was deeper and much more menacing.

Before Axton could even react, he suddenly felt a surge of pain in his right shoulder, nothing else past that as he looked, seeing Aleron but also his arm missing. Aleron's mother quickly ran, a clawed hand grabbing hold of the soldier and holding him up above the ground, a deathly glare bearing down on him.

"**You'll pay for what you have done!**"

Axton tried to break free, the other hand coming over and gripping him as well. The pressure on him started to increase, the machine intent on crushing the life out of him. He tried to break free, but couldn't even make the claws budge, feeling more of his bones break as he withheld yells from each. He couldn't even resist anymore as his face started to turn red from the amount of pressure on his body, feeling like he was going to burst at any moment.

Aleron could only see red in anger, wanting to crush the purely idiotic human in his grip, seeing he was close to doing so. Slowly he continued the squeeze, but jolted when he felt something smack against him, looking back with a snarl, only to stop when he seen it was his mother, a horrified look on her face.

"Aleron… …please…" she pleaded, laying a hand on his unwounded elbow. "Don't do this. Just let him go…"

"M…mom…" Aleron quietly said, slowly looking back to Axton as his grip slowly loosened, seeing that he had passed out.

His grip continued to slip, the broken soldier sliding out and slumping onto the ground, the bleeding having stopped from the spot where he severed his arm. He knew that it would have gone on longer, but figured that with the abilities granted to him also meant faster healing. It was after he looked to the claws and saw the blood on them did he realize what he almost did, his thoughts going rampant.

_Warning, memory instability detected._

Those words flashed in his display, but he didn't care, the thought of him murdering someone out of anger too much, making him collapse out of shock, passing out as he landed very close to the soldier.

_Unit shutting down. Running diagnostics and auto-repair sequences._

-0-

**This chapter served mainly to try and get me back into writing fight scenes. I know that it isn't as good as the previous ones that I have written, and that it's a lot shorter (to me that is), but like I have said, trying to get back into writing overall.**


	4. Gauntlet

**Hey-o, another chapter of Altered. I'm...currently slacking on the sixth chapter of this and I fear I might have to break the weekly updates for this story. :S Rest assured that I am trying to motivate my lazy self to continue writing said chapter to try and keep up the quota.**

**Sadly, still no reviews. :(**

-0-

Unknown location

-0-

"Reports from around the world say that people are showing signs of what is believed to be superpowers. These didn't start showing up until after the cosmic meteor shower the night before, where several of the meteors rained down onto the planet."

The television shone in a rather run-down bar, some people looking at it while others were still drinking, conversing or other tasks. Most of them dismissed the report as rubbish, thinking that such a thing was impossible, even when video feed was presented. Of those shown was a duo that manipulated fire and electricity against someone who wielded ice, another with a large red robot deflecting bullets from a flying armed madman, and various others.

"Tch, look at all that nonsense. Media'll pump out anything these days." one person scoffed, taking a small swig from his glass.

One person who was taking a swig slowly lowered his glass. "Actually, it's all pretty much true."

"Oh? And that makes fairies real then." the other person mocked, laughing after and earning a few more laughs.

The second man stopped just before he could take another sip, slowly lowering his glass back onto the counter, looking to the mocker.

"Best pick your words wisely. Sometimes, the ones who have been altered could be sitting next to you."

"And what's that supposed to mean? That you're some kind of Twinkle Toes?" the drunk man stood up, glaring at the other.

A sigh came from the second man, standing up and showing he was dressed rather casually, though it was rather difficult to tell due to the low lighting of the bar.

"Well, ain't you looking like you're expecting someone fancy." the drunk mocked, standing tall to try and intimidate.

The suited man only stared, looking up at the giant's face with a bored look.

"Is that supposed to scare me? If it is, I think you need to sober up a bit." he suggested, reaching to his glass and started to take another swig. "Also, you look tough, but I can tell that you're a bit of a lightweight with the alcohol."

That struck a nerve in the brute, who growled as veins popped on him.

"What did you say punk?!" he threatened, fists clenching up.

"I said you need to lay off the beer." the suited man answered, setting his glass down as his empty hand flexed a bit.

That set the brute off, who let out an angered yell and threw a punch at the smaller man. Said person didn't flinch at the cry, but sidestepped with almost impossible speed.

"Never try and fight someone you don't know." he stated, thrusting an open hand to the brute's face.

He latched on as his hand started to glow, the brute starting to scream out as smoke slowly rose from him. Shortly after, he burst into flames, though said fire were a ghostly violet, the brute thrashing around as the suited man let go, watching the giant burn as everyone else watched with horror. Half a minute of the man screaming slowly dying down, he started to fall to his knees, only to turn to ashes when he did, the flames fading as the ashes drifted to the floor.

"Flames of a spiritual plane." the man said, slowly circling the smoldering pile of ashes. "Hottest kind in existence, but no heat is felt when not in contact." He soon stopped as he looked to the rest of the patrons, the flames on his hand going out while reaching to a pocket, making the others tense on what he was going to do next. He pulled out a simple wallet, opening it up and fished out a twenty, setting it on the bar.

"Keep the change." he simply said, putting the wallet back before walking out of the bar.

-0-

Unit diagnostics report:

Arms – Left arm: 79.3%. Right arm: 87.6%.

Legs – Left leg: 100%. Right leg: 100%.

Torso: 99.4%.

Head: 99.8%.

Memory storage condition: Stable, 92.4%.

Energy core: Stable.

…

…

Hydraulic leak inflicted: 2H:18M:39S ago. Status: Repaired; replacement fluid needed.

…

Energy level: 100%.

Initiating unit activation…

-0-

"He-hey…! I think he's waking up!"

"He is? Quick, go get the others!"

"Get the cameras ready, as well as a signal back to the station."

"Right!"

-0-

Aleron's PoV:

I groaned as I started to come to again, seeing that I was face-down in the ground. Slowly, I pushed myself up, seeing I was still the hulking robot that I remembered being as. My head was swimming a bit as I lifted a clawed hand to it, holding my head a bit. It was a bit odd, having hands my size which easily made my head feel…tiny, compared to them.

"You alright?" I heard someone ask, making me jolt a bit.

I looked over and saw that it was Lucas, standing close by with hands in his pockets, in which I relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I answered, though I wasn't entirely sure about it.

"You sure?" he asked.

A small chuckle slipped from me. "Positive."

I was able to see a small smile creep on his face, making me smile as well. It was only until then that I realized I was still outside, though it was probably around noon or one pm. Not only that, but there was a spot of red-colored grass, making me remember something as I jumped to my feet.

"Where's Axton…?!" I quickly asked, looking around for him.

"Al, relax. The police called for some paramedics and carted him away while you were both out. After they're done, he's going to jail for what he did." Lucas explained, looking up at me as I returned the look, relaxing greatly and letting out a sigh.

"That's good…" I muttered, lifting my right hand up, seeing the blood on the claws. "Still, I can't believe I did all that…"

"Same here, but you pretty much had a reason to slice that psycho's arm off."

A shudder went through me. "Please don't remind me…"

"Gotcha. Oh, and hope you're not camera-shy." Lucas stated, a small chuckle coming from him.

"Um, why?" I asked in nervousness.

"Cause a news crew arrived a few minutes before you woke up. Get ready for an interview."

"In…interview…?" I barely squeaked out, a wave of nervousness flowing over me.

"Yeah. They already got photos of you, Axton, and the damage you two did."

"So they did…" a mutter came from me, now a bit afraid of being interviewed.

"Are you Aleron?" I heard a new voice cut in, an arrow pointing me in the direction of it and soon seeing the source.

Standing close by was a woman dressed casually, oak-brown hair reaching her shoulders. She had her hands folded in front of her down below her waist.

"Uh, yeah?" I answered, turning to face her and looked down at her.

"I kind of overheard what you and your brother were talking about. I can tell that you're nervous about the upcoming interview." she stated to me, in which I nodded.

"Yeah…nervous cause of not only going to be on TV, but also because of how I'll be presented." I answered in return.

"Don't worry, the group I'm with make sure that only the truth about you is shown." she reassured, though I was doubtful, folding my arms – or at least tried to since they were so bulky.

"That's what all of them say, right before they end up editing it and making a lot of good stuff seem criminal."

"Huh? No, we never do any of that pointless audio manipulation. Most news crews may have given us a bad image, but there are always the few honorable ones. As proof, you can view the footage before it airs to show we haven't altered it." the news-lady offered.

"Hmm…" I muttered, wondering if she was telling the truth. On one side, people would be aware of me and pretty much won't be as afraid when they see me. On the other, it could possibly have my enemies, such as Axton, know who I am and possibly my family. It was right then that I had to come up with an alias, some kind of name that could keep my real one safe. "Yeah, though…I don't exactly feel safe with saying my name on national television. Gonna have to go under a different name…"

"I understand. Much like in books, revealing a person's real name can be dangerous. Don't worry, you have a bit to decide before the recording starts." she answered, doing a small bow before walking away.

I watched her walk away, turning my attention to Lucas. "Well, any ideas?" was the question that came from me.

A shrug was his answer, prompting me to to let out a sigh. I closed my eyes, my arms still folded as I tried to think of an alias. Though, as if to answer my question, the display shown various bits of info, though it displayed my body and conditions of it, as well as something else.

_Unit name: G4un7137-Annihilator_

_'Huh? Haven't noticed that before, but…hmm…'_ I thought to myself, soon deciding on my name and reopened my eyes.

"Got something?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. According to the – I guess – built-in computer, my 'unit name' is Gee Four U En Seven One Three Seven Annihilator. My new name happens to be it." I answered him.

"What? Annihilator?"

"No no, too overused. It's Gauntlet." I stated after, looking to see that the news-lady was returning.

"Aleron? We're ready now and waiting for you."

"Alright, and it's Gauntlet now, at least to the public it is." I replied, looking and seeing the news van that was prepared for my interview. While we walked, I stopped as I realized something, looking to my right hand. "Oh, forgot about the blood…"

"Well, think you can wash it off quickly?" I heard her ask.

"Yeah. Guess the pool will be useful after all. Just a sec." I answered, running back to the backyard, dipping my hand in and saw the blood come off surprisingly easy, fading in the water. Pulling my hand out, I shook the water off before returning back to the news crew, seeing them getting the filming equipment ready.

"We're live in five…four…" the cameraman counted down.

_'Welp, here goes…'_ I thought to myself, hearing the countdown finish.

"Hello viewers, I am Patrica Monroe, Channel Five news daily." Patrica, as I now knew, started. "I'm standing in what was a supposedly peaceful suburban area. However, due to the events of earlier today, that peace was shattered as two altered humans, one 'Commander Axton' – the attacker – and another who was transformed by last nights meteors, going only by the name 'Gauntlet'. Photos and a video from several witnesses were shown earlier today, showing the brutal battle that occurred between the two as they fought, with Gauntlet showing great concern for those caught in the crossfire, while Axton didn't show any signs of regard to them. Currently, I am standing next to the hulking mechanized hero, Gauntlet himself, who allowed himself to be interviewed."

She turned to me, the camera following her and no doubt zooming out to show my size compared to her.

"Mister Gauntlet, can you tell us and the viewers on what or how you become like such?" she asked, holding the microphone up to me.

_'Yeah, this is gonna be a long interview…'_ I thought to myself, then answered her question.

-0-

**Thirty minutes later…**

-0-

"Thank you Gauntlet for answering our questions." Patrica thanked, lowering the mic again and turning to the camera. "That's all the time we have viewers. Stay tuned for tomorrow, the fate of the crippled soldier Axton will be judged. I'm Patrica Monroe, signing off."

"And we're clear." the cameraman announced, in which I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Sounded like you were very nervous there." Patrica smiled, looking at me.

"Yeah. If I was my original self, I would have been sweating bullets nonstop." I answered, chuckling a bit.

"That you would have. Anyway, thank you for your time, and I'm sure that when it gets a broadcast, everyone won't be scared." she explained, walking to the van.

"Yeah, that's definitely a plus."

"That it is. Anyway, we'll be heading back to the station. Once again, thank you for the interview, and I personally hope to see you again."

Nodding a bit, I watched the crew pack up, the engine of the van starting before driving off, waving a bit as goodbye to them as they soon turned out of sight. Personally, I was wondering on how my life would be since I became like such. I know that robots don't exactly need to eat or drink, which is a bit of a good thing – minus I can't have my favorite foods – but when human needs are gone, there are always others to replace them. I let out a sigh, looking back to the house as I walked to it, knowing I couldn't fit in without damaging a good portion of it now, just wondering on what to do for who knows how long.

-0-

**And thus another chapter ends. The start was originally to hint to those who will use their abilities for misdeeds. Kudos if you managed to get the reference to a few of my characters as well. :P**


	5. Much Has Changed

**Chapter five of Altered.**

**Sorry for the semi-late update, but here is the fifth chapter of Altered**

**Still no reviews...?**

**Lets go!**

**Oh, and lots of uncensored swearing. Read at your own risk.**

-0-

One and a half weeks later…

-0-

Starwall Security Prison, classified area location

The moon was starting to come over the fortified prison. The Starwall Security Prison was quickly erected after there were numerous crimes made across the world by super-powered villains. Fortunately, it only took four days to build the fortress, the speed possible due to generous superheroes willing to have the criminals sealed away, as well as the incredible intellect by some of them. The place was built to house any and all kinds of criminals, ranging from the ones with great strength, to those capable of kinetic powers.

Axton, after being founded guilty of attempted manslaughter, was being escorted down the halls, bound in a metal jacket that could hold the strength of his only remaining arm. The face-mask he wore gone as it was confiscated by the guards, showing a scar running from his upper lip to the lower one. After a bit of walking, he was shoved into a solitary confinement cell, the door slamming shut as a beep sounded out, the jacket starting to deconstruct digitally. Once his arm was free, he brought it around, flexing the fingers before looking around the padded cell, soon spotting a camera in one corner of it, growling a bit before punching one of the cushioned walls in pure anger.

"GOD DAMN ROBOT!" he yelled out, letting out what he held in during court. "SLICED MY FUCKING ARM OFF, AND HE GETS PRAISED AS A HERO?! MY FUCKING ASS HE IS!" he continued ranting, strolling around his cell while letting out a lot of steam he had built up, providing an interesting show for one guard who was watching him.

After a bit, he stopped as he was breathing heavily, sitting down and rested his hand on a knee, beads of sweat sliding down his face. He looked to his legs, a bit glad to have them but with a device attached that disabled the jet features of them. When he regained his breath, he flopped back onto the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling, the only sound in the room was his breathing since said room was built to be soundproof.

"Ugh…so this is how a veterans life ends…" he groaned, looking to where his right arm used to be, only able to barely feel what was left of the muscles to it. Looking back up, he replayed the events of those days in his head, loathing each second of them.

-0-

**Later that night, 3:49 AM**

-0-

The sounds of snoring filled the room, the soldier asleep on the floor of the cell for the night. He occasionally shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable on the padded cell's floor, unaware of small glow starting to appear in one corner. Said glow slowly grew, soon turning into a form of rift, a person calmly stepping out of it with arms folded behind his back, dressed in a business-like outfit as glasses rested in front of his eyes. He slowly approached the sleeping soldier, not minding the watchful eye in the corner in the slightest, soon stopping next to him.

"Wakey-time soldier boy." he calmly whispered, nudging Axton's body with the tip of a shoe.

Said soldier grunted when he was poked, shifting a bit in his spot to try and continue sleeping, earning another poke.

"Does the big boy want to rot away, or wake up?" he mocked a bit.

"How about 'Asshole gets a fist to the face and–'!" Axton started, only to realize what was going on, hopping up onto his feet and whirled around with such speed. "How the hell…? When did…?!"

A small chuckle came from the suited man, maintaining his posture. "Don't worry yourself, for I'm not a foe, rather a friend."

"Oh? And why would I trust someone that came out of nowhere and suddenly say that?" Axton countered, folding his arm.

Instead of answering right away, he looked up at the camera, the guard on the other side just now noticing him standing inside before radioing for backup to the cell. After he was done, the man looked back to Axton.

"For one, the guards now know that I'm here, and unless I'm mistaken, they'll think of my being here as a breakout attempt, and would put you for death either by syringe, or firing squad. However…" he paused a bit, adjusting his glasses, a small gleam coming off them. "I'm here to extend a proposal to you."

"And that would be…?"

"You work for me, and not only will I get you out, as well as grant you a replacement for your loss… …but also revenge against Gauntlet, at least, that's what he's known now. I think you should know who I'm talking about."

"Yeah…Wait, how did you know what happened between me and that hunk of scrap?" Axton questioned.

"I have my ways. And please hurry, I don't want to leave someone like you to the guards when they arrive."

Axton closed his eyes, thinking of his decision, not seeing the man extend a hand to him, waiting for his choice. He didn't exactly trust the man, but didn't want to die while Gauntlet was still alive, as well as his family. Outside, several guards with riot shields were forming a small barricade, some aiming rifles at the cell door while one was accessing the controls to open it, each of them ready to fire if need be.

"Time's running out. What will it be?" the man tempted, his hand still held out as Axton reopened his eyes.

"Alright…" Axton started, reaching for the mans hand. "…I'm in." he finished as he grabbed the hand, shaking it as well.

"Very good. Let me do something before we leave though." the man stated, letting go before turning to the door, holding out his hands.

At the ends of them a sphere of dark energy gathered, the air around it shimmering a bit. After a few seconds, the door to the cell slid open as he grinned a bit.

"Sorry, but he belongs to me now." he stated, the sphere quickly pulling out, a stream of dark violet flames spewed out, scorching the wall of guards alive and setting fire to the area around the cell door. Once the charge was spent, he looked back to Axton who had a surprised look on his face. "Shall we get going?"

Snapping out of his gaze, the soldier nodded, a small smile showing on the other mans face before walking to the portal he came in. "Oh, and I highly suggest you stay close to me. The…residents…are a little violent to outsiders without a guide."

Nodding a bit, they both walked through, fading into it as the portal soon vanished, a small violet flame left in its spot before extinguishing.

-0-

**Later that day…**

-0-

Aleron's/Gauntlet's PoV:

A lot has happened during the week after the meteors came. For one, no one in my hometown's afraid of me any more, which is definitely a good thing in my books. Next is that there are a whole lot more people that were affected by them than I originally thought. Also, it seems there's a whole lot of things that I – being what I am – can do, such as flight with a rather powerful jet-pack. Had to practice in a field, but I was able to – surprisingly – master it within a couple of days. Said jet-pack was able to be built with what I could figure are nano-machines inside me. Normally, I would have it put away when not in use, but it takes a little over ten minutes to build and deconstruct it, which would not be good in a fight.

Anyway, kind of straying from the point; First, I was able to watch Axton be declared guilty of what he tried to do to me and my family, as well as others through a broadcast thanks to one feature I had. I could tell he was beyond royally pissed at such, but he was unnervingly calm during the court trial. Must be the results of whatever kind of training he had to go through before he left the military, able to keep to himself even when angered.

Back to about me, mainly the jet-pack. I kid you not that I literally go as fast as…possibly a supersonic jet plane when I'm using it. No, probably faster since I was able to reach where my brother used to live and back in the time period of only one hour, a little over eight-hundred miles total, give or take a few. The pack itself is pretty powerful, able to lift my whole – I guess two-ton – body into the air for the flight, as well as allowing me to move freely.

During the week, my family has been granted quite the benefits, part of it monetary. One other is that we're pretty much covered should a – and I quote – 'Super fight' occur here. The list does go on, but I'd rather not list them.

"Al, you done messing around up there?" I heard Lucas call up to me, looking down to him from up in the air

"Yeah, was just checking out the view." I answered back to him, starting to lower towards the back yard of my home.

I landed on the ground lightly, looking down at Lucas after.

"Must be nice being able to fly freely like that."

I nodded a bit with a small smile. "That it definitely is."

The both of us talked for a bit, mainly of the places I was able to see, like seeing Lookout Mountain, Miami, and all other spots within a week. I was about to sit down until a small display popped up, showing a ringing phone.

"Uh, hang on a sec." I said to Lucas, answering the call. "Hello?"

"Gauntlet? Need you here!" I heard the voice of one policeman I was quite familiar with.

"Hey Officer Pattington. What needs my attention?" I asked, standing back up and turning away from Lucas, starting to slowly walk away. I conversed with the officer for a bit, soon hanging up.

"Bank robbery on Main Street." was my answer to a potential question to Lucas. "Some Altered punks think they're invincible just because they're like other Altered."

Altered was a term coined recently, mainly for those who were affected by the meteors, like me. Waving a bit to my brother, I switched on the jets and took flight, heading for the scene.

-0-

**First off, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut the weekly updates, possibly discontinue this story. Truth be told, this story was rather spur-of-the-moment, made only since I was playing Champions Online so much when I first played. Now however...kind of faded and getting dull. Sure, I can make probably a lot of my characters on it, but the replayability of the game overall...not worth it...:S**


End file.
